Photo courtesy of Josh Morrissey [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/e1a6bb8c-f0f5-4e0c-9ba4-85ed583030ac.jpeg] Photo courtesy of Josh Morrissey Winnipeg Jets defenceman Neal Pionk is officially considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury. That's it, that's all that head coach Scott Arniel would give when questioned about his second pairing defender's absence from practices last week. "He tried to get through it," Arniel said. "We do need him for the long run here, so as much as he wants to play, this is the right decision... If you have plans to play into June, you're going to need your roster. It's proven. There's injuries that happen, situations that happen, you're going to have to go deep." The 29-year-old has nine goals, 37 points and a plus 21 rating in Winnipeg's 66 games up until his injury. His 22 minutes of ice-time per game will be difficult to replace. But trade deadline acquisition Luke Schenn has stepped into Pionk's role well, filling a veteran, shut-down need on the Jets' back-end admirably since joining the club on March 7. Pionk has since missed Winnipeg's past two games (both wins) and questions continue to arise as to the length of his absence as the postseason quickly approaches. The Jets arrived in Vancouver early after taking care of business against Seattle on Sunday. Monday night featured a comedy show at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria that a number of Jets players attended. Making the three-game trip was Pionk, who watched Theo Von entertain a lively crowd alongside Josh Morrissey and Connor Hellebuyck. Morrissey shared a photo of a meet-and-greet to his Instagram page after the event, to which Pionk's left leg was in a walking boot. The picture certainly doesn't tell the whole story, but it doesn't appear that Pionk will be ready to return to action at any point during Winnipeg's three-game road trip. Next up for the Jets is a Tuesday night affair in Vancouver with the Canucks, before hitting the road for Edmonton on Thursday night. Winnipeg returns home to face the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday in the first test of a four-game homestand from Canada Life Centre.
